We all remember those days after school, when all of the neighborhood kids would meet up in the lot beyond the dull apartment complexes and an old raggedy fence. Nobody had any special talents, but who needed them? The ball was friendly. Soft, red rubber. It made a satisfying “boing” sound when kicked. The game always started where it left off, as if it never stopped. Every kid was a player when it came to kickball.

Now, years later, adults are picking up the game again.

In Albany, they’re getting together once a week for this old favorite.

The World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) is running three leagues from late spring into early fall. The rosters include co-workers, individuals, small groups and full teams. WAKA adds socializing to the activity by planning parties for players. The group’s motto is “Life should be fun, and people should be happy.”

There is a summer league, NY Valley, starting in July that will play on Thursday nights and meet at The Lionheart Pub afterward.

Currently, 16 teams and 300 people take park in adult kickball. The first eight teams play at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and the second eight play at 7. Not much different from the childhood game, this kickball league still abides by the same rules and regulations. The only difference is the added alchohol consumption and the fact that at first, you may be playing with strangers, but finish the season with good friends.

Jennifer Adams, a Bethlehem native, coordinates the Thursday night leagues with her husband. “It’s great to meet new people every year and continue with the same players, too,” she said. “Four couples have met through this league and have either recently gotten married or are engaged. There are some who are currently dating.”

While Adams was living in Florida years ago, WAKA had an opening for a paid position that Adams was hired for. When WAKA decided that Albany could support a league, Adams moved back upstate and started its development.

Lisset Drislane, captain of Just for Kicks, a team in the NY Capital league, has been part of the game since it started in 2010.

“We all love the socializing aspect of it,” Drislane says. “It’s consistent, too. Some teams are still the same since four years ago.”

James Duffy, co-ordinator of the Wednesday night league, played for three years before taking a leadership position.

“My favorite part of kickball is definitely the friends I have made,” he said. “I love being competitive and having something to do every week but having a group of close friends is top of that list.”

He added that the co-ordinators plan to develop a dodgeball league and a bowling league later this year.

Steven Phillips, whose team is All Balls Go to Heaven, said he played the same way when he was 6, without the drinking part of course.

“I was always the last kid picked, and I still am,” he said with a laugh. “I started playing last year. I didn’t know anyone really, just knew a guy who knew a guy.”

Remember all the times you were slammed in the face or arm with the red, rubber ball for not reaching home plate quick enough? Neither do we, which only means our social life might need a kick.